Photographs
by Seosh
Summary: He's ready to finally take that step. It's simple and fun, but when it starts to mean something to the both of them, will fear of love hold them back? Tiva. *Complete*
1. Hiking

**A/N:** This story will be just a bunch of snapshots of fluff (so AU may meander in…), so I hope you all enjoy it! I'll be posting two or three pieces before I head off on a holiday…

!Oh and please excuse any mistakes made!

**Disclaimer: **One day… *dreams*

**Hiking**

.::.

"Hey Zee-vah, you free this weekend?" Tony rose from his seat and sauntered over to Ziva's desk.

"Why?" she furrowed her eyebrows and continued with her work.

"I've been thinkin', we should catch up, it's been awhile since we did anything together…" his voice hinted a little hope which was mirrored clearly by his expression.

"What do you have in mind?" she stopped her work and her head angled up to look at his, her index finger rose to gently linger around her lower lip. It had grown to be a habit these days, she didn't quite know when it had started but it seemed to be triggered by Tony's presence but she didn't really mind it.

"I was thinking we could go hiking," he nodded his head goofily up and down, "gotta lose some of this weight that I've put on over the years." He grabbed at his gut and scrunched his face.

"I… uh…," she stuttered. A part of her wanted to go another part of her told her this was Tony, and spending time with him would only result in them growing closer, and that was something she feared.

"C'mon," he whined, "it's not like you have anything better to do."

"Oh?"

"Okay, I don't actually know… but do you really?" he rested his ass on the edge of her desk while his eyes pierced at her.

"Fine, I will come," he grinned and bobbed back to his desk, "what time?"

"Tomorrow morning, I'll come get you after breakfast," he began to pack up his gear.

"What time Tony?"

"You always wake up before me so I don't think that really matters, "he winked at her after he gathered the last of his stuff then exited the bullpen, "we'll have fun! Laila tov."

Just as the elevators closed she recovered from her moment of shock, "Laila tov Tony." She smiled to herself a contented smile and packed her gear.

.::.

Ziva was up and fully alert by the time the clock hit 0500. Her bed sheets were a mess from her constant rolling around unremittingly, something was pulling at her, her heart was beating out of her chest and a warm fuzzy feeling fired through her body. And eventually she'd come to admit the cause of all this was because of Tony.

She'd gotten at most five hours of sleep when she woke abruptly to the sound of silence and pitch black. She gave up on the idea of trying to fall back asleep, because that was definitely out of the question. The feeling she had felt before was making no sign of backing down anytime soon.

"Damn it Ziva, get a clutch of yourself!" She muttered to herself and sauntered to the kitchen where she boiled herself a cup of jasmine tea and relaxed to watching the sun as it crept over the dark horizon.

By the time the knock came about on the door at 0745, Ziva had already fallen asleep on the couch. It wasn't until Tony banged the door so hard and the neighbours began to complain that Ziva propped up suddenly to a sitting position.

Tony nearly stumbled over empty air as the door swung open and revealed a pajama-clad Ziva.

"Maybe I was wrong about you waking up earlier than me," he laughed as he took in the sight of Ziva.

"Shut up Tony," she pivoted and headed towards her room, "make yourself at home!"

"As you wish m'lady!" he saluted and was faced with a glare, "too much? Okay…" the bedroom door shut with a soft click. Tony closed the door behind him and settled himself onto the couch she had just occupied a mere few minutes ago.

There had always been something about Ziva that made his heart skip a few beats, and the most amazing part of it all was that she hadn't a clue she was doing it.

"Daydreaming Tony?" Ziva's head hovered over his.

"No, you ready?" he stood and checked her up and down.

In the span of less than five minutes, she'd changed into her gym gear, tied her hair back and if he wasn't mistaken he could've swore he saw a hint of make-up.

"Ready as I will ever be Tony," she held out his daypack towards him.

"Alright… let's go," Tony grabbed it and led the way.

.::.

"Wait for me Ziva!" Tony's voice sounded miles away where in fact it was only a few meters, "we're supposed to enjoy the scenery Zee-vah!"

"We can enjoy the scenery at a faster pace, you're like a tortoise," she waited reluctantly for him to catch up.

"Well maybe Ziva, you could slow down for once in your life," he stopped next to her and met her eyes half way, "take a step back, watch nature… there's no hurry, we have all day." He gave her his usual charmed smile and strolled ahead. Ziva watched on, still captivated by his smile, which was something that had always left her tripping.

"I didn't mean to stop completely," Tony turned around to laugh at her, still in the same position. She shook herself from his trance and trudged along.

"Do you do this often Tony?" she settled to the same pace as he, as they walked through the trail side by side.

"Used to, I mean…with NCIS and the busy schedule it comes with everything gets a little hectic, there's hardly any time for anything anymore…" they came upon a massive log that intruded their pathway, Tony hurdled over it first. He held out his hand to help her, though he knew she was definitely capable of jumping the distance. She took it nonetheless and let him help her over.

"And you rather not spend it at home?" she landed safely on the other side and they ventured on.

"I rather spend it with you," and that earned a questioning look from Ziva, he hadn't intended to tell her that exactly, "I mean every other night I'm at home, it's good to have a change." It was a sufficient enough of a patch-up, so he left it at that.

"What about you? Hiking ever been something you did?" he switched the table around and questioned her.

"Not really, being in Mossad and all you don't really have any off time at all," she gave a sad smile.

"Well remind me to take you out more," he smiled and picked up speed, which she gladly abided in trailing his footprints. They had hiked past half of the trail when Tony strayed and led them off track.

"Are you sure you know where you are going Tony?" she pushed the large ferns out of her face as she tracked along behind him.

"Of course I do, just follow the sun right?" he gave a light chuckle, and she couldn't quite tell if he was serious or not.

"I am serious Tony, I do not want to get lost."

"Oh don't worry! You're with me, and we're nearly there," he rotated his head to look back at her.

"_That_ is what I am worried about and where exactly are we going?" the sound of gushing water came into view as she knocked the last of the intruding ferns from her face.

"Tadah!" he waved his arms in the air, "now this! This is mother nature!"

"It is beautiful," she whispered a little taken aback as she got closer to the small but still rather spectacular waterfall. Her head snapped around suddenly at the noise of a camera flash.

"What do you think you are doing Tony?" she eyed him playfully.

"Oh just admiring a beautiful woman in a beautiful place, like you said," he smiled and he turned red at the grumble that resonated from his belly, and Ziva made it no secret that she heard it.

"Should we head back for food?"

"Nope, I came prepared," he hung the camera around his neck and pulled out a little rug followed by containers of food. He laid out the rug and assembled the food on top, then patted the spot next to him, a cue for her to take a seat.

"Taking on a healthier lifestyle Tony?" she gazed over the salad and sandwiches that were cut into halves.

"Well, Ducky has been raggin' on me about that," he took an enormous bite and nearly consumed the whole of the sandwich, "help yourself."

She grabbed a sandwich and relaxed on her back and closed her eyes, "Thank you Tony."

"It's just food," he lay beside her and imitated her actions.

"Not that, but thanks."

"Then?"

"For today," she let out a light sigh before her eyes crept opened, she was a little taken aback by their closeness, and her eyes on impulse fell over his succulent lips that proved to be nothing more than pure scrumptiousness. Her browns wondered across the planes of his features, each one absent of tensed muscles and they seemed so gentle like a baby's at such a close proximity.

A cheeky grin played at his lips and as soon as his eyes fluttered open the sound of the camera flash striked her again.

"Tony!" they both cracked up into laughter as she swatted him squarely across his chest, which had taken them both by surprise when it stayed there. The intimacy of the touch both questioned in their eyes…

.::.

A/N: I'll post up the next chapter on Monday, but if we hit 10 reviews before that I shall reward you all earlier! Thanks for reading!

-Ash.


	2. Sand and Shells

**A/N:** This will be the last chapter I'll post before I get back from my holiday!(If by some miracle we hit 20 reviews I'll make an effort to upload another chapter on my holiday). Enjoy!

**Sand and Shells**

.::.

"Hey Gibbs! Hey guys!" Abby bounced into the bullpen on a rather dull Friday afternoon as everyone began to pack up for the weekend, "You guys are not busy this weekend."

"Are you asking us or telling us Abs?" Gibbs light blue eyes continued to stare at his computer.

"Well…" she murmured something not comprehendible and spun around to face the others, "Guess what? I've got tickets to…"

Before she could finish her sentence McGee's voice rang in, "Sorry Abs, busy this weekend."

"I didn't say it was this weekend McGee," she stretched out his name.

"_Is it_ this weekend Abby?" He smiled, knowing he'd won this argument.

"Fine it is, but what exactly are you doing this weekend?" she eyed him closely.

"I'm finishing off my book Abs, and you're the one who's wanted to see it so eagerly, so the quicker I finish, the quicker you get to see," McGee smiled mockingly.

"Fine, you're excluded," McGee shrugged as she offered him the ticket nonetheless, "in case your typewriter breaks." McGee chuckled and took the tickets from her grasp and stowed it away safely in his desk drawer.

"Tony! Here's yours, I know I can always count –" it took only two steps for her platforms to cover the distance from McGee's to Tony's.

"I'm sorry Abs, I'm sorta busy too…" Tony rejected the offer.

"With what?" she whined.

"I'm heading to the beach," he said a-matter-of-a-factly.

"Yeh as if, you so made that up just then Tony!" She pushed the ticket at his face, "Unless you're going with Ziva you're not excused!"

"Oh, Abby I am sorry, but Tony and I are going to the beach this weekend," Ziva's voice bud in at that point which earned her a slight look from all three men including Abby.

"Oh really now Ziva?" Abby's face turned serious as she gave up on Tony and approached Ziva slowly, "And when exactly will you be going?"

"Oh, Tony will be surprising me, are you not?" Ziva slanted her head to the side at Tony.

"Yes of course… "

"And let me guess, it'll surprisingly collide with my plans?" Abby said suspiciously.

"Sorry Abs," he gave her his charmed smile hoping to get off the hook. Abby gave a frustrated sigh and finished in front of Gibbs desk.

"Please don't tell me you're busy too Gibbs," she looked at his with her best puppy dog eyes.

"I'll come," he said simply and accepted the ticket. Eyes from the three corners of the bullpen darted towards Gibbs.

"You're the best Gibbs!" Abby pulled him up from his chair and enveloped him in a massive hug, she released him and pulled him by the hand towards her lab, "I have to give you some background information before we go, we're going to have tons of fun Gibbs! Ooh! Ooh! You will not believe…"

The team burst out in laughter as the last of Abby's voice disappeared.

"Can't believe Gibbs is really going," McGee zipped up his pack and strode casually out of the bullpen, "Anyway, see ya on Monday guys!"

Tony waited until the elevator doors shut firmly before he leant towards Ziva, "Are we really going to the beach?"

"I do not know, are you?" a little sweet smile flashed upon her lips as she turned her head up to look at him. He seemed to ponder on the thought as he crossed to her desk, something he found himself often doing.

"I'm only going to go if you come along," his face dropped to her side, and her heart skipped a beat at their proximity, he was so close that she could feel his minty breath on her neck.

"Okay, you figure out the details and then call me."

"But, what if I've figured them out already?" He gave her his mega-watt grin, she eyed for him to continue, "There's this beach I used to go when I was a kid, there aren't many people around, tomorrow sound good?"

"Tomorrow… sounds good," she hit enter and shut down her computer.

"Alright, I'll drop by at 0800, just in case my ninja doesn't wake up again," he laughed at her.

"Very funny Tony," she patted him on the cheek and swerved around him to leave the bullpen, "Have a good night."

"You too Ziva."

.::.

This time, she made sure she was wide awake by the time 0800 rolled around and when Tony came knocking at the door she pulled it open almost immediately. He was dressed in white pants and a colourful Hawaiian shirt; though she'd always mocked him about it she absolutely loved it on him.

"Mornin' sweet cheeks, I hope you don't mind I brought some lunch," he raised his bag to brag his organization skills, "you ready?"

"I think that's about it," she grabbed her little day bag and locked the doors.

"Morning there Ziva, how are you today?" an elderly woman greeted her as she ascended the stairs having just picked up her daily newspaper for the morning.

"I am great Mrs. Robinson, and yourself?" Ziva gave her a little hug and peck on the cheek.

"I'm fabulous actually, my son is visiting today, haven't seen him since he took off on his tour to Afghanistan," she said cheerfully.

"Is this Simon or Billy?"

"Simon of course, Billy went into engineering," she fumbled with her keys and unlocked the door, "anyways I best not intrude on you and your… boyfriend?"

"Oh he's not my boyfriend…" Ziva deflected.

"Either way, enjoy yourself," she gave a little wave before she shut the door.

"Well you seem to know your neighbors pretty well," Tony looked at her a little surprised.

"Are you being sarcastic?"

"No, I… I don't even know who my neighbors are, to be honest I think I know more about Mrs. Robinson now… let's get going it's a bit longer then a short ride," he chuckled then turned and led the way towards the stairs.

.::.

"May I present… drum roll please," he slapped his hands to his thighs to a steady beat, "Camelot Beach!"

"Camelot? As in King Arthur's castle?" she furrowed her eyebrows.

"No… it's just the name of the beach Ziva," he grabbed his gear and sat against the hood of the car.

"When you said a bit longer then a short ride, I think your judgement failed you," she joined him at the hood of the car.

"Yes, but it's worth it isn't it?" he stared longingly at the ocean then turned his head to face hers.

"You did not have to bring me here… it is clearly a place that means a lot to you," she stated rather than questioned. He didn't respond to it though, instead he smiled and raced to the beach like a child eager to play in the sand.

"You are such a child sometimes Tony," she followed behind, at a much slower pace albeit.

"Well, we should all let the inner child out once in awhile," he grabbed a handful of sand and threw it in the air. He regretted that when the sand succumbed to gravity and fell back to the ground and hit him on the way. Ziva laughed as he wiped sand out of his eyes.

"Once in awhile? I question your definition of that."

"Oh come on Ziva, live a little! Be free!" he knelt down on the soft wet sand and began to construct a castle.

"What are you doing now?"

"Building a castle of course," he seemed way too occupied in his construction than would've been considered normal.

"That is so childish," and that earned her a look from Tony, his sunglasses angled up towards her.

"Then what do you suggest we do exactly?" he rose to his full height and stepped closer towards her, "hmm?" And again at their closeness, her heart began to pick up pace and she stalled for words.

"Well, I guess it does seem fun," she backed off and lowered onto the dampened sand.

"That's the spirit! How about a little competition to make it more interesting?"

"What sort of competition exactly?"

"See who can make the best castle," at that she snorted, "what? Are you that confident?"

"I would gladly bet a hundred that I'd win that."

"You're on!" he'd started out with so much enthusiasm and confidence that Ziva wondered if he had a hidden talent in building castles. But she took it back as he glanced up to look at her work of art, and his excitement levels stooped to near nothingness.

"This is not fair! Did Mossad train you to build sand castles as well?"

"No, but are you done with… that?" He gave an exhausted sigh and pulled a hundred dollar bill.

"You win hands down."

"Keep it Tony, it is my way of saying thanks," he nodded his head and stowed it away.

They spent the rest of the afternoon lazed upon the white sands, talking while they listened to the waves as they crashed gently up the shoreline.

"I wonder why there is no one here," Ziva said abruptly.

"Because everyone is too busy these days," he sighed and walked off along the water as his footprints dented the sand. She followed out of curiosity as he bent down and picked things up.

"What are you doing Tony?"

"Collecting shells," he said as he continued to wander endlessly.

"Why? There are millions of shells, and you pick up specific ones?"

"Each one is unique Ziva, like people," he stopped mid-way and walked towards her, "here look at this one, what does that look like to you?"

"A knife?"

"Yeh… and this one is just a work of nature…" he picked aimlessly at another shell in his collection.

"A heart," her hand rose to touch the fragile shell that lay in the palm of his hands.

This time she wasn't quite as shocked by the sound of the camera as the last time they went on an adventure together. Maybe because it wasn't quite aimed at her, but nonetheless her finger, his palm and the little shell had been captured.

"Why this sudden obsession of taking photographs?" she pulled her finger reluctantly away and ventured ahead, on a look out of shells.

"Just another way of keeping memories."

"Of what?" she gave a hearty laugh.

"Of you," he whispered to himself while he looked at the picture he had just taken.

"What did you say?"

"Of the view!" he lied.

"I swore you said something else," she let it go with a huff.

"Maybe it's your ninja senses that's failing you," he threw his head back in laughter, only to be met with a playful stare from Ziva.

"Really?"

"Uh oh…" he turned and ran as fast as he could…

.::.

**A/N:** You may have noticed from my other stories, Ziva's elderly neighbor is a frequent star, so I've finally given her a name (Mrs. Robinson)… let's hope we'll see more of her in my other stories. Haha.  
And also… I made up "Camelot Beach" so don't go searching it up… you'll end up in Sri Lanka. LOL.


	3. Carnival

**Carnival**

**A/N:** I'm back from my holiday! I hope you guys enjoy this.

.::.

It was 0835 on a Saturday morning when Ziva's phone began to shrill throughout her apartment. She gave an annoyed groan and buried her head deeper into the pillow while she hoped the person on the other end would just give up. Her mind didn't even bother to cross the idea of Gibbs on the line; she had learnt that lesson years ago, so now Gibbs had a specifically allocated ringtone.

The phone stopped its excessive ring after what seemed like a millennia. Ziva released herself from the pillow and exhaled a shaky breath of annoyance. The phone had done its caller's job, woke her up even though she hadn't even answered it.

She had planned on spending the better half of the morning in bed, but clearly that would not be happening. She made her way to the bathroom, and paused for a moment to curse the phone that sat innocently on the table.

At first it had annoyed the hell out of her, but after the fifth ring she had brushed it off and it became nothing more than the croaks of crickets in the night. After a quick shower and a little revitalization, Ziva stepped out of her bathroom, wrapped only in her cream colored towel.

She narrowed her eyes at the caller ID and then answered.

"Took long enough, what are you doing?" Tony's husky voice rang through almost instantly.

"You know Tony, usually people would get the message after the third try," she humored him, if it were someone else she'd probably have chewed their heads off by now, but she didn't quite mind it from Tony. In actual fact she liked that he doesn't give up on her, even if that meant waking her up on a Saturday.

"Well, I see what you mean, I'll be hanging up now," he mumbled disappointedly, falling into character skillfully. Though she knew he was merely joking, she couldn't be quite sure if he'd stay on the line.

"Tony," she sighed his name. She could hear him chuckle on the other end.

"So what are you doing?"

"You called me to find out what I am doing right now?" she said almost unbelievingly. She wondered when this had all begun. These days they'd call each other up and chatted about not anything in particular, the point of each call sought nothing more than just to hear the other's voice.

"Uhh… Yeh? Well I do have a point to this call…" silence on the end indicated her to carry on.

"Maybe you should get to the point, I'm starting to get cold standing here," she made the horrible mistake of revealing much more than he needed to know.

"Cold? What the hell are you doing Ziva?" a silly smile tug at her lips as she imagined Tony on the other end.

"If it will make this any quicker… I just took a shower…" a sudden out-of-character giggle broke out from Tony's end.

"Are you…" she interrupted him before he could even suggest the unimaginable.

"No, I am in a towel!" again the familiar snicker, "Tony get to the point!"

"Okay! One of my college buddies gave me two tickets to the carnival and I was wondering if you would like to come?" his voice filled with expectation.

"Sure," she replied all too quickly, "When?"

"Now? I'm right outside your door…" he trailed off.

"You've been there this whole time!" her eyes suspiciously dart from corner to corner of the room.

"I'm really starting to wonder if you're…" she shut the phone off and headed back to the bathroom to dry off.

It took her only a few minutes short of ten to clean up and dress herself decently for a day out. She took a peak through the peephole to see an empty hallway, absent of Tony. She opened the door and twisted her head to the left and right, her eyebrows dipped in disappointment.

She nearly jumped out of her skin, as Tony would've put it, when the door of her neighbor's opened with a swish and out came Tony charming her old friend.

"Well it's good to see you Anthony, and I have a feeling I'll be seeing you around again," the white haired lady tittered quietly back into her apartment.

"Capturing the heart of an elderly lady now are we?" Ziva smiled and cocked her head against the frame of the door.

"Are you trying to say I captured yours?" his voice low and soft as he leaned in to meet her eyes. And for a second she lost herself in his misty greens, but she pulled herself out of it just in time to recover with a slight chuckle.

"Hmm… you keep wondering," she deflected and pulled herself away, which she found hard to do. It was like they were magnets, like an invisible rope secured them together. She ambled towards her kitchen in search for food.

"That was neither a yes nor a no," the door shut with a hushed thud, and she could feel him hot on her heels, "That means you're not sure…"

"What is with this interrogation?" she took a bite into the apple she grabbed from the bowl.

"It's only an interrogation if you have something to hide," he responded smartly and leaned against the bench in front of her. She stared at him through narrowed eyes like she always did when she was deep in thought.

"True, let's go," she took the final bite into the apple and threw the core into the bin. He stayed there for a bit longer even though she'd disappeared out of the room.

"Are you coming?" her impatient voice rang throughout the room. He grabbed an apple and trekked towards the front.

"Ever been to a carnival?" she locked the door behind them, and they strolled side by side out of the building.

"No."

.::.

"There are a lot of people…" Ziva was a little surprised when they pulled into a packed out parking lot.

"Yeh, and we're hell lucky," Tony commented and pulled into a lone empty spot, "I remember I came with my frat brothers last year, could literally say we spent an hour looking for parking." Her eyebrows shot up in disbelief.

"I can never quite understand that."

"Understand what?" he pulled the keys out of the ignition and turned to look at her.

"You gladly spend an hour looking for parking, whereas you could have just parked in those empty lots just further up and walked here, that would have taken at most twenty minutes," he nodded his head in agreement, what she had said made a lot of sense.

"Well, it's all about convenience these days," he got out, shut the door and tailed around to her side. They walked with minimal chatter until they reached the main entrance where Tony presented their tickets.

"Hands please," the male that looked no older than twenty requested, Ziva quirked her eyebrow at Tony, but followed his lead and was imprinted by a blue stamp on her hand.

"What was that for?" she followed closely next to him in the crowd while studying the ink on her skin.

"So they know you didn't sneak in," he pulled them to the side, "what do you want to do first?"

Her eyes panned from left to right and a frighteningly big smile erupted on her face as she stopped on the first game. Tony's eyes spotted the source of her smile.

"Oh god, not a shooting game," she gave a throaty laugh, "Alright, what the hell we may as well." He put his hand around her shoulders and they weaved between others to the tent.

"How are ya today beautiful?" the game owner greeted them, his accent had a strange twang to it.

"I am fine thanks," she replied while observing the range of guns that lay in front of them.

"A game for her and me," Tony handed him a couple of notes before choosing his own weapon.

"Now dear, do you know how to shoot a gun?" both Tony and Ziva cracked up in a massive fit of laughter, "I'm guessin' you do, go ahead." Ziva picked up a sniper like gun from the pile and aimed. She executed each shot with utter perfection that the game owner gawked at her in amazement.

"Your turn Tony," she placed down the gun and accepted her reward of a big brown bear. After much consideration he chose a gun that resembled very much like the one he holstered every day.

"Careful lad, those ones are really light and hard to control," the owner advised. Ziva gave a pleased smile as Tony fired all three shots with no problem.

"Never knew you had such great aim Tony," she eyed him.

"Yeh well, Gibbs taught me a lesson a few years back, made me shoot my hat… and I loved that hat" he laughed and thanked the owner as he received his reward, "Here, you can have it." He gave Ziva the fluffy white bear.

"Oh, thank you Tony," she hugged it to her side.

"Oh! You have to try the cinnamon twists, it's to die for!" he grabbed her free hand instinctively and led her to the food corner. He purchased them one each and they settled onto a free bench and snacked on them.

"What ya think?"

"They… are… delicious," she let the words out slowly as she swallowed the last of it, her gaze then darted from her empty wrapper to the pastry in his hand.

"Here have mine," he grinned and handed it to her.

"Really?" he nodded his head and she accepted the little piece of heaven. She placed the last of the pastry into her mouth before he rose and held out his hand.

.::.

They spent the whole day circling through all the games the carnival offered and it wasn't until sunset that they decided to stop. His left arm was filled with various prizes that Ziva had won, his free hand had slipped into hers awhile ago, and it was starting to feel incredibly homely that when he pulled away to point at something he actually missed her touch.

"This is the last of it," he stopped, "the kids from the local elementary school would put on a play every year, wanna watch it?"

"Why not," she shrugged and they both settled onto an empty patch of grass in the corner. The play was ten minutes from its start when Tony left to get them some dinner.

He returned a few minutes later and sat down while balancing the two hot dogs and drinks; she accepted it with a thankful smile, "Toda."

The food had all but vanished within a few minutes just as the show began. He leant back on his two arms and relaxed his muscles from the entire day of activities. He was a little shocked at the weight of Ziva's head on his shoulder and her hands around his waist and chest possessively, but he wasn't complaining. Her gentle scent invaded his nose and he just couldn't get enough of it.

His eyes fell onto her face fondly, the darkening sky shadowed over her face and he just couldn't stop himself when he leant over and gave a gentle kiss to the corner of her mouth. At that, her eyes darted up to meet his, and instead of being met with anger or confusion her countenance was soft, sweet almost and she hugged herself closer to his body than before…

.::.

A/N: Too fluffy? Well… I needed it haha! Thanks for dropping by, a review would be awesome!


	4. Her and Trees

**Her and Trees**

.::.

"Was it absolutely necessary for him to send us out here to the middle of nowhere?" Tony groaned as he stepped out from the car to the gravel road.

"Maybe if you hadn't spilled his coffee," Ziva snickered, "though my question stands as why he had to send me as well." Her eyes met his as he approached her, taking careful steps to position himself just close enough to hold her in his magnetic field.

"I'm hurt, you saying you don't –" she placed a hand on his cheek stopping him mid-sentence, and he was fooled into thinking that maybe, just maybe she'd lean up and give him a kiss because her eyes were clearly tempted. But instead she gave him a playful slap on the cheek and ventured up the road to the little shack, "I hate it when you do that."

He rolled his eyes and caught up to her towards the front door, well, the only door to the little wooden abode that is. After an unresponsive knock on the door she moved to glance through the little window and gave him an affirming nod of the head. He did a mental count down and kicked the door open which released a ghastly sick waft of stale air.

"Oh god smells like an army of rats died in there," Tony scrambled away from the door onto the courtyard, "how can you go in there and take it all in?" It was nearly a whole minute before Ziva's figure, clearly out of breath, reappeared and she darted to his side for fresh air. The area around them was filled with his uncontrollable laughter which came to an abrupt stop as he winced from the light nudge she gave him to shut him up.

"Was wondering when you were gonna come out."

"Lucky for you there's nothing in there."

"Really? You had a slight glance, you sure you didn't miss anything?" he joked.

"It is a very big room maybe you should go back in and check it out," she let a little smile appear on her lips which then broke out into an all out grin at the horror that crept onto his face.

"Oh look at that my ninja is cracking jokes! See I totally rub off on you," he squatted down and took a seat on the little patch of green that sat in the dirt courtyard.

"What are you doing?" she furrowed her eyebrows at him.

"Stalling."

"Stalling what?" she took a seat next to him.

"Calling Gibbs," she gave an understanding nod and let her body lean against his intuitively, he angled his head downwards and watched her stare off into the distance, "So… What are you thinking about?"

"How great that tree looks to climb," and that brought a tug of the lips to the pair.

"What's with you and trees, seriously you scare me sometimes," he traced the features of her face and then finally followed her eyes to the tree that stood erected in front of them, "Oh geez that's one damn tall tree! You can climb that?" His tone was nearly in disbelief.

"Of course I can, it is not actually that high, do you want to try?" she was up on her feet and a couple of steps from the base of the tree before he registered what she'd said.

"You serious? Of course you're serious," she waited for him as he slowly ambled towards her.

"Alright, do you know how to climb trees Tony?"

"No."

"Okay, just follow me, we are going to use the branches and since they are not spaced too far apart, it will be like climbing a ladder."

"To be honest I'm a little nervous right now, what if I fall?"

"You won't," and without another word she jumped and pulled herself up to the first branch, "you take the opposite side." He pulled it off without any problems and he surprised himself a little at his athleticism, it had been awhile since he'd done something that demanded so much from his muscles.

They scaled the branches, checking the strength of each as they progressed higher and the branches got thinner and thinner. After what seemed like an endless amount of 'branch climbing' they stopped at about three quarters of the way up, any higher and they would put themselves in danger of the branches snapping under their weight.

"Wow, I gotta say, this is… amazing," his emerald lit eyes scanned the forested area before them.

"It is what I love the most about climbing, everything is much clearer from above," he averted his eyes towards her face, and it seemed to reflect off something like contentment but there was something else that lingered, something that resembled that of sorrow.

He lowered himself to the branch below, which proved to be a much more difficult task to do than ascending before. He slid himself to the opposite side where Ziva had occupied and then pulled himself back up to where she sat. She took his comfort as he offered and leant against him, sitting her head in the crook of his shoulder.

"Everything okay?"

"I'm just…" a slight pause of hesitation, "remembering."

"Wanna talk about it?" he sensed the sudden tension in her body that told him 'no' she didn't want to talk about it. And he wouldn't blame her; she was trained to keep all this inside even though it proves to result worse in the long run. But then again, she's changed, she shows more now, she'd learnt to let it out, despite how much she's actually shared with him. He knows because he can see it in her eyes that there's an incredibly tough fight that she's facing within.

"Ever since I joined Mossad, it has always been from a first person mode, you get told what to do without a reason and you do it," she clenched her fingers and her knuckles soon turned into a scary white, "but then I met Jenny and people like her who showed me the world from above, where there was no bias and suddenly I doubted what I did in Mossad and…" She shook her head then, knowing she had probably shared too much than she had intended, but like the probing person he was he pushed on.

"And?" She turned to meet his eyes, because she needed to know that he wouldn't leave her for the person she was, for the crimes she had committed.

"When my brother died Tony, I was up above and everything seemed crystal clear, I couldn't believe how I had been deceived by the people around me, even my brother and he was always there for me, but I was wrong… I killed my brother Tony," his face didn't change; there was no shock or disgust or anything rather.

"I know…"

"You know?"

"I… speculated," she knew what he meant; he had dug deeper and had stumbled upon the truth. She edged closer to his face and pressed her lips onto his, it took only a moment for him to react from the surprise and fall into rhythm with her. It was tender and affectionate and lasted for a mere few seconds.

"What was that for?"

"For not telling," she left him hanging as she began to descend the branches. He took a moment longer to gather his thoughts before following her down, but mind you at half her pace.

She was sitting at the bottom of the tree stump when he finally landed on solid ground, which felt awesome after being so high up in the air. She gave him a bright smile and stood to her feet.

"Time to call Gibbs?" she suggested and he yanked out his phone and dialed.

"You know… I'll never tell," he tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear before concentrating on the voice from the other side of the phone as he informed Gibbs with their find, or lack thereof.

.::.

**A/N:** Okay, just to let you know school has started so updates may slow down a little, especially when I'm working on a few things at once (silly me). Anyways I hoped you enjoyed this, a little deeper with the emotions this time.


	5. Bike Punctures

**A/N:** Second week of school is over, nine more to go. Fun. Not. Anyways here's something I brewed up for you guys. I apologize for any mistakes.

**Bike Punctures**

.::.

"Alright boss."

"Yes, we've just landed."

"Oh you have nothing to worry about! Yes boss." Silence.

Tony and Ziva were sent out to a small town in Indiana. Now how did a petty officer find his way here and found his untimely demise is the pending question. It was a short flight and Gibbs has just rung up to inform them to check the crime scene out and head back, but the message was directed more at Tony, he was the agent that Gibbs found hardest taming.

"It's already five thirty, I say we stall and ask McGee to get us a hotel," he shut his phone, pocketed it and turned to face an impatient Ziva with their bags.

"I'm pretty sure Gibbs said to get back by today." He laughed at how well she knew him and hopped into their rental car; she gave a grunt and got into the passenger side while Tony texted McGee to arrange accommodation.

"I have a bad feeling about this." He turned his head to face her.

"The thing is, you're not stopping me, meaning you're all in," with no objections he started up the car and drove off towards the crime scene. They arrived within an hour, though Ziva betted she could've gotten them there within forty five minutes. Outside stood two county sheriffs, sipping on coffee, both smiled as the agents they've waited for exited their car and approached them.

"NCIS, Agents DiNozzo and David," Tony flashed his badge and shook hands.

"Clayton and Burrows, we'll hand it over to you now, been here for a few hours, have fun!" The two sheriffs got into their car and were on their way so quickly it raised brows from the two special agents who stood there a little dumbfounded.

"The hurry they're in, I think we're up for some nasty stuff." Tony sighed and walked into the isolated run-downed house with Ziva following closely behind. And nasty it was, the petty officer was no longer there though, he'd been sent to Ducky in D.C.

Their job here was to check up on anything the county sheriffs may have missed, Gibbs didn't find them very trustworthy when they misidentified the petty officer, and that's the story of why they now stood in a blood splattered room.

"This will not take long." They gave each other a slight smile before parting and delving into their examination. Nothing seemed odd until they met back at the entrance where Ziva spotted something in the vents. They retrieved the device from the ducts and Gibbs once again proved to be right, they would've missed a very important piece of evidence had they not showed up.

"Ahh, stupid camera," Tony gave it a light bang against the palm of his hand, frustrated at it.

"What is wrong?" she climbed down from the seat-turned-ladder and stood next to him.

"Batteries' dead," Tony's phone rang at that moment, he answered it, "Hey McSaver, got us a place to stay?"

"Well there's a lot of things we need to check out at the place and I don't think we can make it in time for the flight back." Ziva watched on amusingly as Tony cornered McGee into agreeing to this.

"Yes I know it's in two hours, we're gonna need that time here."

"Alright, I don't think she'll mind." He ended the phone call and headed out the door.

"What will I not mind?" she inquired, locking the door as they exited.

"I'll tell you later," they strolled towards the car and stored the evidence carefully in the trunk, "Okay we're gonna need the map." She complied and pulled it out from the glove compartment, they studied it carefully to find the shortest route to their accommodation located closer in town, and then they were on their way.

.::.

"One room?" she asked him in disbelief as they headed towards the door to their little chalet located near the pond.

"Yeh, it was all McGee could grab, it's quite pricey."

"Why couldn't we have just gone to a motel?"

"_You_ wanna stay at a motel where the sheets probably haven't seen detergent for god knows how long?" He looked at her and was pleased with himself when she looked a little disgusted at the thought.

"Well I guess you're not that bad," her eyes caught the view that presented in front of their chalet, "oh that is not bad either."

"Say thanks sweetcheeks, that's all you have to say," he unlocked the door and they both looked on in awe, "Oh yes! They have surround system." They were halfway examining the rooms when she stopped and turned to look at him.

"And there's only one bed." He ventured over to glance into the room she'd discovered.

"I'll take the couch if you like…" their eyes were locked on each other and they didn't waver even when she spoke.

"No, I can't do that to you, I'll take the couch."

"You kidding me? No way, you're the lady, you take the bed." It was clear that this wasn't going anywhere and neither was going to give in, so instead she offered her hand and broke their little staring competition to scan at the room behind her.

"Then we compromise?" He didn't bother to think about it, he took her hand immediately and shook it.

"We compromise," suddenly the air around them became constricted as he held onto her hand, not knowing what to do next, but eventually he let go reluctantly and took a step back, "You up for some bike riding, I saw the rental wasn't too bad at the reception?"

"Sure," she dropped her bag at the side of the bed and they left the chalet to the reception. They were both unsure what exactly they were doing still, were they exclusive or just playing around neither didn't quite know. But he took the first step and made clear what he wanted when he took advantage of their brushing arms and took her hand in his.

Her chocolate eyes found his deep greens, and with just a simple reassuring smile from his famous lips, e something fuzzy and warm dwelled deep within her and all she could do was smile back. He pushed the door open and guided her inside to the front desk.

"Could we rent two of your bikes?" he let go of her hand then and pulled out a note from his wallet and handed it over to the lady over the counter.

"Alright here are the bike locks and helmets, enjoy your ride, and I have to recommend the lake route, it's absolutely beautiful." He grabbed the items in one hand and slipped the other back into Ziva's where it radiated off with a comforting heat that seemed to fill him and make him complete. They ventured outside to the bike rack where they picked out two mountain bikes.

"You know, I've known you for five years and I don't actually know if you know how to ride a bike," he placed the helmet on and sat on the bike.

"Well, I do know how thankfully, or you would have wasted your money," she smiled and positioned herself over the seat.

"Don't forget your helmet."

"Why did she give me pink," she groaned but placed it on nonetheless. With a laughing smile, Tony led the way out towards the lake, and they rode side by side around the calm pool of water until the pathway they had followed ended and they ventured onto a dirt trail into the forest.

They were quite far out when a loud sound ricocheted like gun fire; they both stopped and pulled their sigs out, heads turned side to side. There was one thing Ziva hated about forests, and it was the fact that it left her senses vulnerable, the direction of sounds echoed off of everything and it left her defenseless.

"Oh damn, you blew one of your tires," Tony's eyes fell onto her back wheel as he holstered his gun and checked the tire, "there's no way you can ride that back, you'd be faster if you walked."

"If we walked it'd be dark by the time we get back," she pointed out the obvious.

"My ninja scared of the dark?"

"No," she deflected.

"Don't worry you can just ride with me," he locked the bike to one of the trees and jumped back on his bike, "maybe we _should_ head back, I'm getting a little hungry." Ziva placed her feet on the axis of the back wheel and hugged herself around Tony to stabilize herself. They got off to a shaky start but when he picked up speed it was quite a pleasant ride.

She lifted her head up and caught the wind; her hair flew back as she savored the cool air caressed over her skin, burning her cheeks. She lowered her head to the nape of his neck and buried herself in his scent as she hugged closer to him. It felt nice, being here with him and she couldn't believe it had taken them so long to admit to something as blatantly obvious as Abby would've put it. Either way, she was glad, glad that he had asked her on that hike a few weeks back, because it was exactly what they needed, the little ignition to light their carefully stacked hay on fire.

.::.

The sky was dark and the moon hung high in the sky as a crescent when they reached the bike rack. They returned the helmets and the locks and informed the lady of their little incident that resulted in a bike stranded in the depths of the woods, she'd said it was okay and that they'd have one of their staff retrieve it the following day.

Dinner was simple, they dined at the outdoor restaurant where they ate and sipped on wine, it was in mostly comfortable silence with conversations scattered here and there. It was edging in on ten by the time they found their way back to their chalet.

And though they were a little high and out of it from the wine they had consumed, something in them held them back, restraint them from crossing that line. Instead the night found the two in bed sleeping, it was awkward at first, both a little hesitant at where they still stood, but when she turned over and cuddled into his side it was anything but.

Never had he ever thought he'd be spooning but there he was as the sun woke him from his sleep and her slender body was enveloped in his arms. And the best part of it was that he loved it.

.::.

A/N: I hoped you liked it? Leave a review so I don't feel so lonely here… *gives choc cookie*


	6. Cloud Watching

**Cloud Watching**

.::.

"I can't believe we have to work on a Saturday," Tony grumbled as he scratched the paper in front of him with his black inked pen.

"What's there not to believe? We've done it many Saturdays before," McGee looked up to glance at Tony before continuing on with his share of paperwork.

"Well unlike you probie, I had plans," Tony let out an exaggerated sigh.

"What plans? Usually you'd brag on and on about them," McGee laughed.

"I was gonna go fishing."

"With who? Can I come next time you go?" McGee sounded way too excited than he should've, "I've never been."

"With someone that does not concern you McNosy, and I'll think about it."

"I can build the boat," Gibbs walked in and sat down by his desk, the two male agents stared at their boss, a little surprised, "What? I wasn't serious."

"Wow boss, we're just not used to you –"

"Get on with your work DiNozzo, I don't wanna be here as much as you do." The three kept their heads down, McGee and Tony working on real work where as Gibbs sat at his desk reading the paper and doing his crossword. Ziva would've been working as well; only that she was up for lunch duty and was currently out grabbing them.

It wasn't very long before both Tony's and McGee's hunger was made embarrassingly obvious to the other agents that happen to walk by. Finally after what may as well been a life time Ziva strode into the bullpen with a bag of deliciously great smelling items.

"Chicken salad burger for you McGee." McGee caught the burger like a pro and was chowing it down as soon as he unwrapped it.

"Grilled beef burger for you Gibbs."

"Thanks Ziva." He ripped it open and took a large bite into the plump bun, and then licking off the little gravy that had spilled lazily over his lips.

"And I got us Chinese," Ziva placed the little white box accompanied with chopsticks on Tony's desk before settling back at her own desk and began on her noodles, "Oh they wrapped me off!"

"I think you mean ripped you off, and what did they rip you with?" Tony swallowed the noodles that hung from his mouth.

"They didn't put in the prawns I asked for," she chewed the remainder in her mouth and continued to stab at the noodles, in search for the clearly not present prawns.

"Do you want mine?" Tony didn't mind the look that McGee shot him but when Gibbs' head popped up as well it had him a little nervous.

"Yes please," obviously not bothered by the looks of their coworkers, Ziva rose from her desk to Tony's where she exchanged some of her noodles for his prawns. Both Gibbs and McGee watched on suspiciously as the two interacted oddly, but nonetheless comfortably.

"I thought you love your prawns Tony…" McGee trailed off as he munched on his burger.

"She bought us lunch Probie, it's the least I could do," McGee's eyebrow's shot up in question, but he abandoned it, he wasn't quite sure what he wanted to get out of that conversation anyways.

.::.

It was closing in on 1400 when they finally completed their paperwork and Gibbs dismissed them. McGee was the first to leave as always, all thanks to his computer savvy ways. McGee bid them a good weekend and headed towards Abby's lab.

"I'm sorry we couldn't go fishing," Tony apologized, his head sprung up to meet hers.

"It is not your fault Tony, we can always do it another time," she gave him a sweet smile and placed the folder on Gibbs desk and crossed to his side.

"How 'bout we go to the park or something?"

"Sure, it is still early." They packed up their gear and left the office. They decided to take Tony's car; it would've been much easier than taking two cars. The park wasn't far though, and it was rather empty aside from a few families with kids about the playground.

They both munched on corndogs as they strolled around, just admiring the company of each other. The two stopped mid step when a kid zoomed by on a bike, nearly knocking Tony to the ground while the boy was at it, Tony was about to shout out at the little tyrant but the bike hit a rock and the child collapsed spectacularly onto the ground, clearly hurt.

The two agents rushed up to the child who was now crying and wailing incessantly, they checked for any broken bones but was lucky enough to find just scraped hands and knees. A middle-aged woman approached them and led the now sobbing child away with the damaged bike.

"I feel sorry for that kid," Tony sat himself down on a patch of green grass to the left of where the boy had just clumsily fallen on to.

"It was the mother's fault for not looking after her child," Ziva settled down next to him.

"Oh don't get me wrong the kid definitely deserved it –" Ziva smacked him on the arm, "what? The little guy nearly ran us over."

"Fine."

"See you're just as bad," he laughed and lay down on the grass, "I see a duck, what do you see?"

"What? I don't see any animals here."

"Not in front of you my silly ninja," he grabbed her by her sides and pulled her down next to him," look at the clouds, you see that one?"

"Oh, I agree, it does look like a duck, but with an axe through its head."

"You've got such a violent mind," he laughed and pointed to another, "okay this one's gonna be good, what do you see?"

"A bunny holding a Ferrero Rocher."

"It could be a ball, or an egg, why Ferrero Rocher?"

"You're supposed to use your imagination right?

"Have you played this before?" he smiled down at her, but her face saddened a little as her hand wrapped around his waist and her head fell into the crook of his neck.

"I used to play with Tali," he placed a soft kiss on her forehead and held her closer, "but it is fun to imagine again."

"That one looks like you."

"But that looks like a butterfly…"

"I know."

.::.

**A/N:** Just heads up for upcoming chapters, we've had lovey dovey, cheesy, too perfect chapters so far, we're going to get some heated scenes soon. Reviews are always cherished, and thank you to those who have left for previous chapters. =)


	7. Board Games

**Board Games**

.::.

For Tony, Saturday night was the best night of the week it used to be because he got to sleep in from the day before and then sleep in for the day after. But nowadays it was a great feeling to wake up and have something other than drink himself silly.

He'd woken up mid afternoon after the whole team pulled an all-nighter, which seemed to be occurring more often recently. He would complain but there wasn't much to complain about, his life was his job and everything at his job.

"That'll be eighteen fifty, sir," the acne-filled face boy who couldn't have looked more than fifteen handed him a bag full of delicious aromatic food. Tony paid and tipped the kid before weaving through the three person line to exit the little downtown shop. He'd picked up a bottle of red wine on his way too, and in less than thirty minutes he was outside her door.

He struggled with the plastic bag and wine as he tried to ring the doorbell, or at least give a knock on the door. He nearly fell into her apartment as the door opened and there stood Ziva, she had on a smile that had a way to always make him feel the need to beam a brighter one at her, and so he did.

"Tony," she nodded her head and stepped aside, taking the bottle from his hand.

"Ziva," he mirrored her actions, walked in and placed their dinner on her table, "Guess what?"

"What?"

"You don't even bother trying, do you?" they chuckled, "anyways, I think I saw McGee walk out of a strip club the other day."

"Really?" that definitely had caught her attention, though she didn't always approve of Tony's ways with McGee she had to agree this was a bit 'broad' for McGee.

"Yes really, you don't believe it either do you?"

"Well McGee is a grown man, it really is not any of my or your business." She ended it there because she knew if they did continue it would've encouraged conjecture and that was something that would make it difficult to look at McGee and carry on with her work.

"True, and I don't really wanna go into details," he disposed off the plastic utensils and grabbed the silverware from her top drawer, along with the plates before joining Ziva in front of the television.

"Noodles or rice? Or rather chicken or beef?" he offered both, switching them back and forth. He knew what she wanted but he asked for conversation sakes and also just to watch her face quirk from neutral to a deep thought. It was adorable when she did it, even if she knew her decision before hand; sometimes he wondered if she did it on purpose.

"Noodles with the chicken," her lips twitched upwards at the groan he let out as he slumped into the couch beside her.

"You always make it so hard." They're hands brushed past each others as they swapped around the meat in each box, each touch sent a sizzling jolt through his body and it made him embarrassed to feel like this, because she didn't seem at all affected by him. Not that she was showing any signs of it at least, but with Ziva you could never really know, she was like a chameleon, she could change herself to make you believe whatever she wanted you to believe.

They were half way through watching some old Seinfeld re-runs, with their take out boxes scattered on the glass side table when the power went out and sent them into a hole of darkness.

"Oh great! Now what?" they both stilled in the darkness. When no reply came from the form next to his, he began to worry and shot his head to his right, which was inevitably useless since they were soaking in darkness.

"Are you okay Ziva?" he was tempted to reach out just to make sure that the warmth radiating next to him was actually there.

"Yes."

"Why aren't you talking?"

"I just like to listen to the silence." She could feel his eyes on her, though all he'd probably had seen was black. It seemed the whole neighborhood lost had its power; the streetlights had severed any other source of light, and it wasn't much of a help with it being pretty much moonless.

"I hate the silence."

"Why?" he could feel the swish of wind that blew his way from her sudden turn of her head, he could just imagine the curiosity on her face of why he despised the silence.

"Don't you just feel so alone?

"I know I have people beside me, like you for instance."

"That is true, but do you ever feel the more you try to listen to silence the louder everything seems to be? It makes everything so real and it scares the shit out of me," he swallowed the lump in his throat, and at that moment he longed for light, he hated being deducted off of his senses, "you have any candles?"

She nodded her head, but then realized that he couldn't actually see her, "I'll go get some." She stood and exited the lounge, and as she got further away from where he sat, her footsteps became louder. This was what he hated, his heartbeat thudded like a hammer in his ear, and the analog clock's tick got louder and slower as if it deliberately did so just to irritate him.

He was never so glad in his life for her to return with two lit candles in her hand. She placed them down on the table and sunk back down beside him. She must've felt his agitation as he fidgeted, trying his best as he kept his mind from drifting into insanity.

"How about we play a game?"

"What game?"

"I have a few board games in my closet, they are brand new, I have never had the chance to play them," and this time with a lit room he freely nodded and she rose once again and disappeared. But this time she returned much quicker and thank goodness for the flickering light or he wouldn't know what he might've done.

"I hope you like monopoly."

"Only when I own Mayfair and Park Lane," they shared a quick laugh before setting out the items for the game. It really had him feeling like a child again, well at least what he thought a child should've felt like, it felt like chocolate and honey; whatever that meant.

They were well into the game and Ziva had somehow erected six hotels and seventeen houses, whereas he owned a shamed three houses in the cheap light blue neighborhood. And just as his luck always did he landed on her hotel on Mayfair with all but two un-mortgaged properties and a hundred and fifty dollars in cash.

"Guess that means you win." He chucked his cash to the middle, accepting a very clear defeat.

"And do I get any reward?" He wasn't sure, it could've just been the low lit room or the flicker of the candles in her eyes, but there was something that sparkled and hinted just what she meant.

"What do you have in mind?" He angled towards her just a little, holding her the baton out to her and hoping she'd catch the drift and choose whether to run to the finish line or drop it.

Her body was literally above his as she leant over, her lips so tempting and her eyes so tempted. She clasped their lips together, interlocking them with such ferocity he wasn't even prepared for. Her hands came up to weave around his neck and into his hair.

The hairs on the back of his neck rose with lust when her body inched fully against his and her hands pulled at his shirt in desperation. He recovered somewhere in between and his hands ran from the back of her neck to the dip of her back.

They'd never cross this line that they were edging towards before, there was always too much risk involved for them to be brave enough to confront. But they weren't really thinking right; they'd consumed the whole bottle of wine and a few beers and all in a short amount of time. Whatever that had held them back before clearly wasn't a problem anymore, not now at least.

His hands slipped under her shirt and she shivered at the sudden electric charge that fizzled through her at the contact of his rough skin against hers. Gently he tugged at her shirt, silently asking for permission and with skilled hands he slipped it off, his breath hitched in his throat as he took in the sight of her, and how gorgeous she really was. His hot kisses trailed down her neck, sucking at her pulse as she freed his buttons from their captured hole.

His mouth traced down her jaw before reconnecting back with her lips, he slipped his tongue in between and she was just as eager with her intensity as they fought for dominance. But just as he slipped his hands down between them she pulled apart from his lips and grasped onto his hand as if they were like poison. There was so much riled up in him at that moment, he couldn't churn out any words yet alone sentences.

Her eyes hadn't yet dared to come up to meet his, but he stalked hers like a prey, and hoped for something to tell him what was wrong. And suddenly all the alcohol seemed to wear off and the risks came bombing down on him. This was exactly why they've refrained from venturing out that much further into the abyss, because they were both as much of cowards as the other, both afraid of love, both at the point of realization at the absolute disaster this could turn out to be.

Besides the two gleaming candles that dimmed close to their deaths, she was glad that they were stripped of light. She couldn't even bring herself to look into his eyes, it was always one of her weaknesses that she found most difficult to gain control over. The strange ways his eyes could morph from grey to green to blue, and they acted like hypnotizers, she knew if she took a chance for a little glance at them even in the midst of the dimness, she wouldn't be able to tear herself away and say no.

They've already gone too far, they were partners. That's what they've always been and that was what they should be, it was for the best. Even just in his presence she found it taxing to separate their bodies, his body was foreign but felt strangely familiar, coated with protection and something she couldn't quite place her finger on, it was just _Tony_.

Steadily, she greatened the proximity of their heaving chests, until she sat above, straddling him. With her eyes still locked squared on everywhere but his misty greens, she slipped on her shirt before making a slow retreat out off the room.

This time as she moved further and further from where he sat, her footsteps seemed to leave with her unlike before. He was still perplexed at the events that had just unfolded like an overloaded box, bursting out in its side to come to a complete stop, as it stood broken and torn, the contents inside collapsing over the floor.

He debated whether he should just leave or set off to find her. He was scared shit but that's what he had always done for all his life. It was his formula, and it always worked. But then, every rule had its exceptions, and as he lay there propped up upon his elbows, with her smell still lingering all over him, it was the first time that he had even considered not running.

Finally, knocked back into reality he rose to his feet, and with a glance at the door he headed down the hall, towards _her._ It felt like forever as he marched along to the beat of his heart, which seemed to have slowed down to nearly nothing. He couldn't help but let his mind wonder to one of those movies where the moment had been climaxed to such heights that a drop of a pencil could make the audience gasp.

It hadn't occurred to him what he might've found on the other side of the door until he tapped it open, the door creaking as it revealed more darkness.

"Ziva." His whisper was barely audible, and for some reason the darkness seemed to silence him further. He nearly fucking tripped over her as he felt his way into the bathroom. But in his sudden dodge of her small form against the wall he had stumbled on the mat and ended up flat on his ass. It hurt like hell but at least it had her attention.

"Tony, are you okay?" her hand reached for his back, only to be withdrawn as she felt his smooth taut skin.

"I'm fine, I'll be a little sore in the morning, but I'll be fine," he managed to wheeze out as he leant against the cold concrete beside her, "look Ziva, we don't have to do anything if you don't want to, heck we'll forget this even happened."

"I'd like that." He flinched slightly, small enough to seep through her drunk senses, he hadn't actually expected her to respond in any way like that, and he realized this was him giving up again as she ran. To hell if she ran, this wasn't something that seemed likely to happen again and he noticed he was the one with the baton all along, he'd never passed it to her, he held onto it like a prized possession.

Instead, he placed his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his side. He was a coward indeed; it was an old habit, and one that he found hard to pass on 'cause it was so damn reliable. It must've been late, added with their extensive alcohol consumption, it wasn't very long before he could hear her breathing smooth out as she fell into slumber.

"I wouldn't…"

.::.

A/N: So there we have it, things have taken a turn for the worse. And a much longer chapter, as you can all see… I got carried away, you can't stop my fingers when they start. Anyways please leave a review as you exit, it'd be great to know what you all think!


	8. Pushing Away

**VIII. Pushing Away**

.::.

By the time Monday morning rolled around, he had expected for his mind to forget everything that had happened on Saturday, he'd expected his head to follow through with his words. But he hadn't, he couldn't bring himself to. It was such a massive leap from where they'd left off to where they had agreed to be, and he was reluctant to take that jump.

He thought he'd finally found the one, he was still sure she was the one, and he couldn't deny the fact he wasn't a college grad anymore; he no longer had a free range of options. Not that he was considering being with Ziva "settling", she was his American dream, and he intend to make it all happen, but at this moment he'd done all the wrong things and said all the wrong things and at the worst possible times.

And he regretted ever asking her if she wanted to forget it all, he gave her the easy way out and she took it. Despite it all, he knew he couldn't act any different because then McGee'd notice and he just couldn't deal with that, Thom E. Gemcity had predicted it, there was no way he'd give him the satisfaction of being right.

The worse and probably the hardest part of it all was to pull off the day without Gibbs suspicion or speculation, but knowing Gibbs he probably already knew, somehow he would know that they came close enough to break Rule twelve and its relatives, and that it had sure as hell broke them apart.

So as the elevator opened up and coughed out a smiling Ziva, all he could do was play along and push her to the back of his mind like they'd agreed upon. And he tried, he certainly did, and he succeeded to an extent, but it didn't mean that he didn't struggle through it. Every time she came so much as a half meter radius from him it was hard enough to keep his heart rate stable, how she could turn up today, acting all professional as if nothing at all had happened he didn't know.

He wanted to talk to her, but he debated on whether it was appropriate since he was the one who deemed this situation unnecessary to talk about. He held onto his tongue for most part of the day, and all was going well until he pushed their usual banter onto her and she didn't even bother react like she usually would.

.::.

She'd just exited the green cubicle and turned on the tap to wash her hands when she heard the familiar sound of the squeaky door close and locked. She knew this would happen, she always knew he was too sensitive, too human to leave something that big behind and ignore it. She flicked the tap shut and dried her hands, and then with crossed arms she leant casually against the sink.

"We need to talk."

"I gathered that is why you were here."

"I can't do this Ziva –"

"You said we should forget it ever happened, am I wrong?"

"I _asked_ you if you wanted to, I never agreed."

"So you want something more?"

"Why not?"

"We cannot."

"Why?"

"Because, Tony! We are not meant for each other, we are two completely different people aaand –"

"Hell! That's not even a real reason Ziva! You're just scared and finding anything you can and running with it!"

"I am not scared –"

"Yes you are! And I am too! But I know we can get through this."

"There_ is_ no _we_ Tony." Her voice was so soft and condescendingly angelic that he almost missed what she'd said. And if she was aiming to break his heart with those words, it sure did the job, he had strutted in with the confidence to turn it all around, but now it seemed all the impossible.

And as the room floored to complete silence, one that hurt to sink within she couldn't help but remember all the times they'd spent together over the past few weeks. She cursed at herself for letting it get this far, she couldn't allow him any closer, it would ruin them, it would ruin the team.

Then without any further thought she dragged herself from her subconscious back to reality, and then finally she disconnected herself from him and his tempting eyes, she pushed passed his solid form and headed for the door. She waited for him to stop her, stop her from leaving this, because she was not capable of doing it herself. A full five seconds and he didn't bother to stop her, and even worse she didn't bother to stop herself. So with a click of the lock, she left the bathroom.

.::.

Never in his life had he been so humiliated, like he was the butt of the joke and even though he stood in the ladies room alone, it was overwhelming him to the point where he felt like collapsing. He knew he should've said something, she waited for him to do something, but he didn't and that was a mistake that he couldn't undo.

Fury began to gurgle within him, he could feel the sudden rush of heat begin to mount up his body, years of frustration that had built up collected together and suddenly with a spurt of adrenaline he turned and punched the wall as hard as he could. He winced at the fire that split through his fingers up his knuckles and then into his arm.

From the depth of his hand's impression he knew he was up for a visit to autopsy or more specifically, Ducky, his jaw tightened and he felt his teeth grind together as he tried to release the stubborn rock grip of his hand, he was sure he'd broken it. He made his way out of the toilet, ignoring several looks from other agents and descended down to autopsy.

.::.

Ducky was half way drying his hands when Tony stumbled in while he nurtured his now red swelled hand.

"My dear Anthony! What in the father's name happened to your hand?"

"Punched a wall."

"Now my boy, why did you do that." He didn't mean to, but the glare he gave Ducky made him feel horrible, but fuck it! nothing was going his way either, "Take a seat."

Ducky did a quick look over before he deemed it broken and took an x-ray, and by the cringe he let slip, it must've been bad. Ducky apologized for the insufferable amount of pain as he plastered the cracked fingers up, and removed any foreign debris that hand found its way into the wounds.

"I'm sorry Ducky."

"It's okay Anthony, you talk when you're ready."

There was a long pause before he spoke.

"I've been seeing this girl –"

"And I take it you had a fight?"

"I didn't punch her Ducky –"

"I wasn't insinuating that.

"Then how would you know that I didn't hurt myself from saving her life?"

"Did you?"

"Fine. No."

"Do you know who Heathcliff is?"

"Who?"

"Doesn't matter who."

"But, you just said –"

"Any who, he was madly in love with this girl name Catherine, but he never had the chance or rather he found it extremely difficult from his status I guess is fair to say, you see he was from a not-so-well-off background, and to win her heart was tricky within the circumstances he was in, and it is a sad story indeed, poor lad ended up killing himself.

"What has this got to do with me? You know what, scratch that. Could you just fix this up, I need to get back upstairs."

Ducky finished his patch up work and gave a sluggish nod as he disposed of his rubber gloves.

"Tell Jethro I have something important to show him."

"Okay Ducky."

.::.

"Boss, Ducky has something to show you."

"What happened to your hand DiNozzo?"

"Oh nothing."

"Tony, that doesn't look like nothing." This was perfect, now he had both McGee and Gibbs probing around, and Ziva looked as if she couldn't care less.

"I jammed my hand between the elevator doors as it was closing; apparently it wasn't a good idea."

He felt like a mouse under the scrutiny of Gibbs' eyes, but luckily Gibbs seemed to brush it off as an accident, not that he really believed in that anyways. Gibbs peeled his eyes worriedly off of his senior field agent and headed towards the elevator.

"Don't elevator doors open when you stick your hand in between?"

"Well I don't know McAsk-a-lot, maybe this elevator just hated me in particular." The elevator would've definitely hated him for snapping so viciously at McGee, it certainly wasn't his fault and he didn't actually want to take it out on him, but the Probie just has his way of budding in at the wrong time.

With a long sigh Tony rose from his desk and grabbed a drink by the water cooler. His eyes glanced from Ziva at her desk, to the cotton stripped sky outside, usually he'd down the water slowly and gaze warily outside, wasting as much time as he could from doing work, but he couldn't even bear to look at the clouds today, not when he knew that it was so much better when it was with Ziva…

.::.

A/N: Will they reconciliate or is this really the end? The end is near! Very near! (so it really can go both ways right now). Please drop a review as you leave, Thankys!


	9. The End?

IX. The End?

.::.

When she came knocking on his door late that night, he didn't know what to feel. Part of him wanted to scream out in frustration, it was getting absolutely tiring to chase around something that didn't seem wanted to be caught. Another part was angry at her for even showing up and another part, and considerably the largest part felt glad and happy that she had shown the initiative or some sort to come check up on him, at least he hoped she was here to check up on him.

He held a bottle of beer in his uninjured hand and with a twitch of the lips he left the door wide open for her to enter at her own will. At that point he couldn't even look at her, he didn't want to look at her because she broke his heart and looking at her and those caramel eyes would be all too easy to forgive.

Fifteen minutes after her arrival, she had yet to join him and he was expecting some indication if she had left, his eyes darted around instinctively, hoping to see her lurking in the background. She wasn't. He rose sparingly to his feet, concern filled his countenance and he ventured back out to the hallway, with an ear splitting squeak of the floor and his foot he swiveled to his right. She was still standing there, she hadn't moved at all, the door was still wide open and her feet was still mere inches from crossing inside, to him.

He could see something within her, as if she was fighting something and he felt like racing over just to comfort her, but he couldn't. He sighed and placed the near empty bottle on the wooden table that inhabited the photographs and memoirs of his life. He buried his hands into his sweats' pockets and nervously drew himself closer to the door. He stopped just inside the barriers of his home and mirrored her actions.

"I was scared." She let out a weak, soft whisper that had him involuntarily leaning closer towards her. With more deep breaths he calmed himself from snapping at her.

"I was scared too." His voice still packed a punch and the wince of her face confirmed it. So instead, he shut himself up; anything he let out of his mouth would've only made the situation worse than it already was. And by the way, she was the one who came to visit, so she should do the talking, at least that was a reason he could accept.

Growing impatient he grabbed at her hand, and she instinctively tightened her grip around his, with a light cagily tug he pulled her inside the vicinity of his house, and with the little snap of the door she seemed to gain herself back in control. He led her to the couch and sat her down before disappearing into the kitchen and returning with two bottles of beer, and she accepted it willingly. She took a deep swig, as if swallowing her pride before she spoke.

"I have never done this before," her eyes darted from left to right looking for some sort of escape, "never had someone so close to me, mean so much to me."

The silence that settled between them was thick as sludge and it was incredibly confronting both for him and her, they were both sinking in the quick sand and the only way out was if she'd just trust him.

"What movie are you watching?" He stared her with wide eyes, and he knew she could see him, but she chose to ignore him.

"That's what you want to know? What movie I'm watching?" his voice was tainted with disdain and disbelief.

"Yes." He placed the alcohol away from him, pushing the temptation away that he knew would only worsen his sour mood if he gulped down more, what he needed now was to be sober. Sober for her.

"Well, it's Casablanca, you know the one with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, 1942?"

"Yes, I remember all the times that you have brought it up."

"I don't bring it up all the time, only sometimes."

"I did not say all the time."

"Yes you did."

"No I did not."

"Ye –"

"Stop Tony." He knew what she was doing; she knew what he was doing. And she was right, they should stop, this thing that they did, the flirtation and banter if it wasn't going anywhere then he agreed it should stop. But the fact was he didn't want it to stop, he wanted this to go somewhere other than a dead end.

"I'm – I'm here for you Ziva, you know that right?"

"I know that, you have told me many times before." She hated it when he said those words, proved to her that she was the one that needed him to be there, that she had gotten herself into a state where she needed it. She hated that it wasn't her that he needed to be there, but then again, she was the one who told him that she didn't want this, and she couldn't really blame him for not being able to trust her, she wouldn't either if she was in his position.

"I don't want this to be over Ziva."

"Can we not talk about this?"

"Then what do you want to talk about? There's no avoiding this Ziva, you can't run forever, eventually you'll be puffed out and you have to face it straight on!" He couldn't help it, he snapped and as his voice rose higher she shrunk smaller, and he regretted even bringing this up.

"I just don't want to talk about this tonight Tony."

"Well Ziva, I can't do that, it's either you stay or you leave." The air in the room hung in mid motion, his eyes pricked at her, half accusing and half begging. And heartbreakingly she stood, he couldn't believe it; he gave her another chance to redeem whatever she threw away that was them, to put everything behind them and now she was doing it all over again.

_But I want you to stay._ The words were stubbornly sitting and lingering at his tongue ready to be shot out but they never came. And as sad as it was he watched her decide between staying and leaving, and eventually she made that final step outside and he heard his door shut close.

He felt like crying, DiNozzo's never cried, but Ziva was an exception just like his mother had been, they would always be the two women he would cry for and that he'd beat himself over for.

It could've been a few minutes or it may have been an hour, he had lost all sense of time as soon as the deafening dud of the doors vibrated through his ears, sending him into the all too familiar dark hole. He ran his hand through his hand and got up, slipped on his Ohio State jumper, grabbed for his keys and bolted to his door, there was no way he was going to let this happen again, and he hoped he wasn't too late.

And it felt like déjà vu as he rushed out the door, not taking much notice of what lay in his path and he nearly tripped over her as she sat lazily, leant against the wall. He did nothing but stared at her and though shocked she stared right back at him.

"You have to stop doing that, one day I'll seriously trip over and break my neck," he tried for a laugh and earned an awkward silence, "look I'm sorry I snapped at you back there, but here it is and I'm only going to say it once, so listen closely."

He waited for her to register what he had just said before continuing, "I want you in my life, and I don't give a shit about Gibbs and his rules, all I know is that I want this and I know we can work this out."

"I just need time Tony –"

"And I'll wait for you, as long as you like." It felt like the oppression of everything that had built up and held him back over the years had finally been released, like a trapped butterfly on the brink of death being set free.

He slid down the wall next to her and he couldn't explain it nor could he stop it but tears began to slither down his chiseled cheeks. Her eyes averted to his face and she hugged him, it wasn't much but it was much better than anything he could've asked for.

"We did not get off to a good start did we?" The usual ring in her voice returned and the deep laugh followed.

"Sure we did, we just didn't have smoothest sail," She nodded into his neck, "and what a short sail it was."

He dug out his wallet and carefully pinched out few photographs, he straightened out the crease as she glanced at them. A smile grew on her face as she saw the photos of every trip they'd taken together, and she couldn't believe how much they'd actually been through.

"Could we just stay as we are for now?"

"Why?"

"Please?"

.::.

A/N: Yes it is the end. You can go off and imagine what happens if you like. Leave a review on your way out of here forever *cries*.

Thank you to everyone who's read and reviewed, I hoped you enjoyed it and have a great week everybody!

_P.S. I'll be starting another short multi-chaptered story that is Ziva centric, so keep an eye out for that. It should be out by tomorrow or maybe earlier._


	10. Epilogue

X. Epilogue

.::.

"You okay?"

"Yes."

"Oww!"

"Sorry, did I step on you?"

"No, but watch your head here."

Maybe it wasn't the smartest of ideas to go cave exploring, especially when the height of the cave was a sixth of Tony's. But she had to admit it was quite entertaining and a hell of an amusement to watch and hear him wince after every few steps.

A smile graced her lips as she squinted through the dimly lit cave to see her hand still comfortably sitting in his larger ones. Warmth radiated through her, extending from her hand to rejuvenate her and she doused herself avariciously in the pool of hope he provided.

She must've stopped because she felt him squeeze her hand and twist his body towards her in the tight space.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I am fine Tony," his eyes were lit in a way she didn't think possible, especially considering the scarcity of luminosity, "I was just thinking…"

"You wanna talk about it?" Though she couldn't quite tell his expression she knew that there'd be a hint of concern somewhere looming.

"Not here Tony, I'm not particularly fond of bats," a chuckle came from his end as he proceeded slowly.

"Is my ninja afraid of little bats? There aren't any in here if you're concerned, I checked earlier." She made a deep sound from the bottom of her throat, he stopped short and she could hear his breath hitch.

"It's not that, that you're scared about is it?" The silence from her end was broken by a drip of water to the shallow puddles around them.

"I'm sorry –"

"No, do not be, I should be thanking you, I had to face it someday and it does not seem as bad as I thought it would be," and that was the truth, she really didn't feel confronted by being in such a narrow and small space, and it was definitely his presence that helped her, pushed away any of the demons that dared approach her.

He tightened his grip on her and it felt strangely soothing, like he was the extra reinforcement she needed to fight the battle in her head. She had to admit she had her doubts and qualms since the day they sat outside his apartment, she was scared of being let down again. But, it was six months down the track and he had proved himself ever worthy and she _knew_ now that she could trust him.

"I'll always be here for you, you don't have to worry about that. I promise," he placed a soft kiss to her cheek before turning back around.

"Don't make a promise you can't keep."

"Then, I promise even more." That brought on a larger smile and the cave echoed her harmonious laugh.

"Just get me out of here Tony."

"My pleasure."

.::.

**A/N:** Okay, I guess you guys deserve at least this; it was mean of me to leave it as it was. Haha! I hope this was a good enough conclusion for you guys. See you about in the next story, I hope!

Don't forget to click on the link below and leave a comment on your way out =)

**A few mentions, Thanks to those who reviewed:**  
Tiva-for-life, hundan, Anonymous033,  
Princess_Charley, Druid Archer, moonserenity089,  
T-I-V-A1432, Alidiabin, annemiken,  
ZiLive, Zoyarose, Keta7,  
Robern, doeboymomma, LittleHogwartsGirl,  
The Lady Grace, probieprincess, DiNozzoFangirl,  
melielle, NCIS-EW-HP-Gleek, drheart04,  
marshmeg


End file.
